Personally Im glad to see some southern states reacting to the turkey decline n our area. It may not be the right thing but at least they are trying to do SOMEthing.

Alabama has continued the no - reaping rule for this 2021 season ; any decoys must be stationary in the ground .


Perhaps more significantly Alabama is preparing to also implement a a "no decoy rule " for the first ten (10) days of the 2022 spring season. This no decoy period is being pursued to implement a policy aimed at protecting mature gobblers ( deemed the premier breeders) until there has been a more extensive survival and prolonged presence in the early breeding season period.; and they may back the opening day to a later date in 2022 spring. Having hunted huge green field dominant gobblers in Alabama for many early season trips I am pretty sure they can't be killed in early season from a field with hens without using a decoy (unless you do the Preston Pittman sleep over in a foxhole in the middle of the field and ambush one n the fly down.)

Georgia is supposedly dropping 2022 spring season limit to 2 birds ( and restrict daily limit to one), also with a later opening date. Tennessee reduced the limit by one bird this 2021 spring and set the season back a week in response to a post season movement led by hunters who demanded the base flock receive more regulatory protection. The incredible amount of U Tube shows from the last season on hunting in Tennessee WMA and public land has resulted in an enormous increase in applications for quota hunts in those areas with "draw"hunting...like twice as many applicants as in prior years.

No doubt IMO that the southeastern states have not reacted quickly enough to the turkey decline in the area. Real shame here IMO that the various state agencies did not announce an emergency season limit reduction last year in the first week of the spring season when they realized what an enormous death toll that covid hunters were taking on the turkey population. Tennessee hunters checked in about 10,000 birds in first week of season (or less). This should have set off an immediate reaction by the agency IMO.

Yeah, glad to see it. I which VA would take that approach. Katie Martin just took over here but talking with her a couple times I believe she has got a good game plan.

PA starting reducing fall numbers and seasons. They also have the opening spring season 1 MAy. A lot of hunters are complaining about that, but her stats are starting to show some results in certain areas (WMU) but is adjusting in those areas that are still slightly declining.


Earl

I just know that there are a lot of bird hunters now.

So how are turkey harvests going this year so far?

Tennessee youth season killed about a third less birds this weekend than the same weekend last year...may be bird shortage but it was a really bad weather weekend.so not definitive IMO.

Georgias Telecheck so far since the juvenile hunts and general opening March 20 , shows a much slower start than the 2020 (3,990 checked in on this day in 2020) and had the worst opening day numbers since telecheck started in 2016.

2016: 1,535
2017: 1,725
2018: 1,748
2019: 1,477
2020: 1,777
2021: 1,410
Some in Ga think the kill numbers show a potential harvest of for 22,023 turkeys in 2021.

GN, could the hunter numbers be down also since there is some progress of folks getting back to work? Up here we are seeing a lot less scouters and permit sales this year on the Q compared to record numbers last year. But those are not the best of stats to go by. Also like you stated about the weather being bad in GA also. Maybe by the end of the second week could be interesting.
Is 22,000 birds an average year or above average in GA?

Best to you in TN. Will be interesting what thier numbers show after week one.


Earl

The current telechek numbers for Ga are well below what was expected; under 10,000 at this point. some weeks left in the season though . Kill Numbers go through a late season decline historically there.

Rather than the projected 22-24000 mentioned in posts made earlier in this topic above, now some reliable folks believe the season total will be closer to 12-13000 birds. Five years ago Ga estimated harvest at 30,000 annually for the prior five years before Ga began telechek requirements in 2016. I think Ga will implement some serious turkey season regulatory changes for the coming season(s).

My sister and I have both been busy with the unexpected death of my mother last month. My turkey season is most likely over as I'm up to my neck in estate stuff. That said, I did speak to my sister about the bird population on her horse farm in Tenn and she said the number of gobblers and hens she is seeing is way way down as compared to the last few years. Where normally she would see 3 or 4 gobblers, she has seen one and he's normally lonely. She is not sure what is happening but its certainly nothing compared to previous years there. FWIW, here area has had a ton of rain and the grass has grown quickly. Its possible she just isn't seeing them, but where they normally muck out the horse stalls and put it on the back end of the property no birds are showing up and that's normally like a buffet line when they put out the prime rib.

Hopefully they can turn it around before it gets worse. Up here I have a farm I hunt. Not many turkey on it, but a few and I only take one tom a year. Anyway, this year I see a truck parked in a very hidden spot before season. I'm thinking someone scouting, but if so, why hide so well. I ask the owner if he allowed anyone else on for turkey and he said he didn't think so. After seening that truck the birds kind of disappeared. I see an ocasional hen, but no toms. I was also starting to see a ton of deer on the place and around the same time they all seemed to disappear. I think we have some poaching going on. Sucks. The owner contacted DNR and I've seen one drive through the property around noon, like that's going to help.

Guess I am saying this hear because I think this has become much more prevalent over the last year. Hate to see it, but it happens. So predators comes in all sizes and types. Hope he gets caught.
V

Update on Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee telechek for spring season birds checked in the listed state so far, including youth season;

Kentucky--16 days - 20,600
Tennessee- 26 days- 26,663
Georgia- 40 days- 10,217

Reading between the lines, Georgia is likely to need drastic changes in limits, dates and length of season, or they may lose (or have already lost?) the base population in that state.